Cheesesteak Review #23: John’s Roast Pork of Philadelphia

Considering that the city of Philadelphia is supposed to have the best cheesesteaks ever I decided to try one of the more main stream cheesesteak places in the city. So I ventured out of Montgomery Country, hopped on the the Schuykill Expressway and made my way towards John’s Roast Pork, home of the “Ultimate Cheesesteak.” I tried the usual of a cheesesteak with provolone and fried onions.

Bread-The bread was quite different than what I have become accustom too. The bread they use is hard/crusty, and seeded. The hardness from the bread isn’t due to it being stale or anything like that, its just the type of roll they use. I’ll have to admit the bread is pretty impressive, but I don’t know if its just because its so much different than what I am used too, or if it really is as amazing as it tastes.

Cheese-For provolone on their cheesesteaks they use a mild provolone as compared to sharp which they use for their roast pork sandwiches, which are legendary. The amount of cheese they used was kind of disappointing. I think with just a little more cheese this may have become one of my all-time favorite cheesesteaks. The cheese they did include was melted through the whole sandwich, which is a major plus in my book.

Meat-The meat was outstanding and cooked to perfection. They definitely take their time making their cheesesteaks and you can tell that by the meat they use as you are eating it. Its seasoned with something, which I couldn’t quite make out but it was good. Besides that, the quality of meat they use is Grade A. It was all cooked to that perfect temperature and texture where it melts and falls apart in your mouth as you are eating it. My only complaint with the meat is that they don’t cut the meat up in to small pieces. I’m a fan of the diced meat, and when places have large chunks of meat in their cheesesteak it’s a major turnoff.

Amount-They advertise that they use 12 oz. of meat, and if I had to guess that is correct. The cheesesteak was definitely filling. The roll they use was probably 12 inches as well. Since the bread they use is harder and seeded it definitely fills you up more than other places. The amount of cheese and onions don’t play a large part in the overall amount unlike some places, and this played a part in my overall rating of the sandwich. The 12 ounces of meat and hard roll will definitely be more than enough for most people as I even struggled to finish it.

Fried Onions-What was included was really good, and fried to perfection. However; they were barely any onions included. This hurt their overall score as well.

I don’t know who ever decided that John’s Roast Pork was the home of the “Ultimate Cheesesteak,” because they definitely aren’t, at least in my opinion. They are really good, but I have eaten plenty of cheesesteaks in my time that are 10 x’s better than the one they offer. I have even included reviews for most of them on this blog as well. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it and all and would probably recommend it to people if they asked me for a recommendation of a “good” cheesesteak, but I would never be caught dead saying they have the best cheesesteak. They are much better than Pat’s and Geno’s, but I am pretty sure that there are other places within Philadelphia that have a better cheesesteak than them. If you are around Snyder Avenue and Columbus Boulevard in the city definitely stop by and check them out, but I would recommend ordering their roast pork sandwich instead. After all, roast pork is in their name which should be enough of a reason to try the roast pork sandwich as compared to a cheesesteak or any other hoagie/sandwich they offer.

Gotta say, you are 100% wrong with your review of this place. Been to pretty much all of your “4.5 and 5 star” places you’ve reviewed and John’s Roast Pork consistently blows them out of the water. Perhaps you caught them on a bad day or with a new recruit manning the grill. The steak you have there appears soggier, less cheesy, and with less onions than any I’ve ever ordered there.

Also, if you give them another try, you gotta go w/ the sharp provolone. If you order a steak w/ just provolone, they’re going to give you the regular mild provolone, but if you ask for sharp provolone, you get it and your cheesesteak experience will be delicious.